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A
correspondent of the "Universal Jewish Gazette," has written
from Constantinople several letters, from which we give the following
extracts :
After
having established the fact of the entire absence of mental progress
in the eastern Jews as a nation, he adds: "The Jews have no conception
of any other state of society different from that in which they now
exist. What eastern Jew can imagine that he has a right to expect any
thing but the rod--the oppression--the contempt of those around him?
Our ancestors said: 'We are now in exile;' the Hebrew of the East knows
not even the consolation of this thought; for it supposes the consciousness
of past happiness--it breathes of present misery, it is true, but looks
to a future blessedness. The Jew of the East; however, knows only that
he is a Jew, and therefore doomed to wretchedness. The first step towards
the amelioration of his condition, is to inspire him with the pride,
the dignity of manhood."
To
accomplish this desirable end, two means are proposed. Either to open
schools among them for the instruction of the young, or to send them
to Europe to receive a liberal education. The correspondent does not
approve of the first of these plans; he does not think it could be successful.
Their masters would have either to be all Jews, or else they must be
taught by missionaries, in whom they could not feel that unbounded confidence,
which is so essential in the relative position of teacher and pupil.
The correspondent of the Gazette prefers the plan of sending the young
eastern Hebrews to Europe, to receive there their education; after which
they should return to their home, and thus establish a sympathetic bond
of union between the European and eastern Israelites. It would be requisite,
during many successive years, that fresh candidates for European instruction
should replace those who return to their native country; thus, by degrees,
the condition of our eastern co-religionists would be greatly ameliorated.
It
is a great mistake for Europeans to regard the late persecution at Damascus
as an isolated occurrence. In 1839, more than two hundred Jews were
put to death in a small town in Central Asia, because, a short time
before Passover, a Jew was seen dipping his hand. in a vessel containing
blood. It was afterwards ascertained that the poor man was suffering
with rheumatism in his hand, and had been advised to bathe it in the
warm blood of a dog, which he had killed for the purpose.
A
few days before the sad occurrences at Damascus, the sixty thousand
Jews residing at Constantinople were in the greatest peril from the
following incident:--A Turk, with his little son, was in a store kept
by a Jew; having occasion to leave for a few moments, he begged the
Jew to take charge of the child; but being busily occupied, in attending
to his customers, he forgot the boy, who ran out. The Turk returned,
and asked for his son. The Jew laughed, and jokingly said, “I have killed
him for the Passover." The Turk immediately fell upon him; a tumult
ensued, the guard was called, and the poor Jew, under a shower of blows,
was carried before the cadi. The Greeks and the Armenians, (sworn enemies
to the Jews,) loudly vociferated, "throw him into the Bosporus."
The cadi immediately ordered an inquiry as to the cause of the alarm,
and soon learned that the child had quietly returned to his home, unconscious
of all the trouble his short absence had excited. The Jew was released,
and the crowd soon dispersed. The Grand Rabbi sent for the Jew, and
reprimanded him for his frivolity, and sentenced him to receive two
hundred stripes; "for," said he, "if the child had been
lost, who knows what might have happened?" This event, however,
was not unproductive of a good result; for a few days afterwards, when
tidings came of the reported occurrences at Damascus, the Turks, remembering
their too hasty decision in the previous case, were not disposed to
give a too ready belief to an unauthenticated report.
"I
have lived with the Jews of the East," continues the correspondent,
“I have felt all that they feel, and more; for the worst feature of
their deplorable condition is, that they feel nothing."
Three
hundred years ago the Jews came from Spain to Constantinople, and begged
permission from the Sultan to reside there. The request was granted,
but restricted, by a singular condition. They might live at Constantinople,
and there enjoy the privilege of observing all the forms of their religion;
but they should not revenge an insult received from a Turk. If a Turk
should choose to throw the carcass of a dog at a Jew, he should not
dare to throw it back; but were the dog alive, he might do so if he
were willing to pay a fine for the privilege. These unfortunate outcasts,
driven from place to place, were obliged by their necessities to accept
these humiliating conditions. They either bought or built houses at
Chashioi, and were declared to be on an equality with the other Rajahs
(not Turks). They were then, and still are, obliged to pay a capitation
tax. Fortunately they brought riches with them from Spain; for their
Greek brethren, consisting of about a hundred families, were very poor.
Among the Spanish Jews were many distinguished physicians, astronomers,
bankers, &c.; but in 1827, Kamonho, who was quite a remarkable person,
was put to death one Friday afternoon by the order of the Sultan, because
he had thwarted him in the execution of a sentence of death. the corpse
of this unfortunate man remained before his door all, the Sabbath day.
(To
be continued.) |
